Council to keep park safe with funding

Banbury Town Council has made £15,000 available to improve People’s Park CCTV and its lighting.

The increase in its services – at no extra cost to the taxpayer – was made at a meeting on Tuesday, and will see £5,000 spent on CCTV cameras in the park in each of the next two years, with £3,000 used to improve lighting this year and £2,000 next year.

Councillor Kieron Mallon, leader of Banbury Town Council, said: “We as a town council take our role seriously in keeping Banbury a safe place to live and work. In our partnership with Thames Valley Police this extra money in this year’s and next year’s budget is part of an ongoing programme to ensure that our parks and open spaces are safe places for people to enjoy.”

Despite police saying it is not a crime hotspot, there have been concerns about the park’s safety from nearby residents.

A 48-year-old man suffered serious lacerations to his face following an assault near the park in August last year and a murder inquiry was launched in September after 43-year-old Martins Rudzitis died three weeks after a serious assault in the park.